Robert Slick

The Waccamaw Neck, a stretch of land from Murrells Inlet, S.C. through Pawleys Island S.C., boasts six of South Carolina's best golf courses. The list is compiled every two years by the S.C. Golf Course Ratings Panel. Courses are rated on the flow from hole to hole, variety, strategy, fairness, aesthetics and the overall golfing experience.

Here are Georgetown County's six golf courses that made the list: Caledonia Golf and Fish Club (Pawleys Island) No. 17, Wachesaw Plantation (Murrells Inlet) No. 21, The Reserve Club (Pawleys Island) No. 30, DeBordieu (Pawleys Island) No. 34, True Blue (Pawleys Island) No. 42, and Pawleys Plantation (Pawleys Island) No. 50.

Brookgreen Gardens' president and CEO, Robert E. "Bob" Jewell, has accepted a three year appointment to the Board of Directors of the National Sculpture Society (NSS). Brookgreen Gardens, in Murrells Inlet, S.C., and the NSS have had a relationship for as long as both organizations have existed.

The founders of Brookgreen Gardens, Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington, were active members of the NSS and shared a common vision for sculpture in America. The NSS is headquartered in New York City and is the oldest association of professional sculptors in the U.S. Brookgreen Gardens is a National Historic Landmark located on U.S. Hwy 17 between Murrells Inlet, S.C. and Pawleys Island, S.C. and is open daily to the public. For more information visit their website at http://www.brookgreen.org/

Each year McIlhenny Co., think Tabasco, judges regional cookbooks in the annual Tabasco Community Cookbook Awards. "Plantation Tours and Tastes," produced by the Church Women of Prince George Winyah Parish, won third place this year. Proceeds from the book and the $750 prize money will go to the upkeep and restoration of the historic church in Georgetown, S.C. The church dates back to 1721. Cookbook entries are judges on layout and design, title, theme, storyline, incorporation of regional culinary traditions, recipe content, and the organization's fund-raising efforts.

The White Grunt record took 6 years to set and 37 days to break.

A mere 37 days after the first state record for a white grunt was added to the S.C. Saltwater Marine Gamefish record list, it was trumped by a Mt. Pleasant angler.

Jason N. Edgerton caught a 5-pound white grunt on March 10th off the coast of Charleston on the Y73 - Reef. The new record beats the initial state record, set by Sean Murphy of Myrtle Beach on February 2nd by two pounds.

Edgerton, 30, headed off shore with owner and captain of Purpose One Charters, Rick Reddick, on his twin engine 26' Mako Center Console boat. The crew, including Ben Floyd and Wes Covington, had a great day catching their limit of black seabass, vermilion snapper, and red porgy's. One last set for the day landed Edgerton into the record book for his prize white grunt. Using an 8-foot Shakespeare "ugly stick" rod paired with a conventional Penn reel and using a whole cigar minnow for bait, he reeled in the fish in about two minutes. Only after being convinced by friend and fishing buddy, Mike Hightower, did Edgerton decide he better have the fished measured and weighed. Mike Able, owner of Hadderell's Point Tackle and Supply, and rod and reel repair technician, Steve Baysinger, weighed the white grunt on their certified scale the following day. Edgerton then brought the fish to the Marine Resources Center at S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and Amy Dukes, fisheries biologist and State Record Marine Game Fish Program Coordinator verified the new state record. Paulette Mikell, DNR fisheries biologist with the MARMAP project, determined the white grunt was male, and took genetic samples from the fish to determine the age and maturity.

The Founder's Club golf course and clubhouse is built on the site of the former Sea Gull Golf Club and boast thoroughly modern facilities and design. It was conceived in 2006 but final construction was delayed by last year's drought. Founder's Club is the first new public course to open in Pawleys Island, SC in the past 5 years. Founder's Club and TPC in Scottsdale, AZ are the only two courses in the U.S. to use Emerald Bermude grass on its greens. This new strain of grass withstands Summer heat better and requires less water than other grasses. Founder's Club is the latest addition to the Waccamaw Golf Trail that also includes Blackmoor, Caledonia, Heritage Club, Pawleys Plantation, River Club, True Blue Plantation, and accommodation providers Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort and Pawleys Plantation in Litchfield, SC and Pawleys Island, SC respectively. For more information visit www.waccamawgolftrail.com